While hardwood floors are some of the most beautiful types of flooring available, they are also not necessarily very environmentally friendly. Many of the most desirable woods used for flooring are harvested from endangered forests, and the logging companies who harvest them may not necessarily be using green business practices or replacing the trees after harvest. Luckily there are a few options here at Carpet Wagon for environmentally conscious families that can match hardwood in both aesthetic and durability, namely, bamboo and cork.
Cork Flooring
Cork floors are growing popularity thanks to their durability, luxurious, suede like texture and attractive earth tone coloration. Cork flooring also has a number of eco-friendly properties as well. Cork is harvested from cork trees, however, rather than cutting down the trees, only the bark is harvested, which does not harm the tree. This process is labor intensive however, which factors into the cost. The large scale harvesting of cork for flooring is also helping to protect the endangered cork tree as a species. As demand for cork grows, the governments and residents of cork growing regions (mostly around the Mediterranean in Europe) make more concerted efforts to protect cork forests.
The only downside of using cork flooring in North America is the relative damage of burning fuel to ship the wood across the Atlantic, although most experts agree that the preservation of forests outweighs the damage done by the shipping process.
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo floors are made from a prolific species of grass indigenous to China. The bamboo plant is considered a highly renewable resource thanks to its ability to thrive in variety of climates and the speed at which it both reproduces and grows. A new shoot of bamboo can reach maturity in as little as three years, much faster than the decades that most trees require. Bamboo, when cut into flooring, will give you a beautiful light hardwood look that is as durable as and more water resistant than hardwood.
The only real downside to bamboo flooring is the limitations on color choices. Bamboo is resistant to staining and therefore if one of the two natural colors it comes in does not match your décor, it is not the right flooring choice for you.
For more information, contact us! Carpet Wagon can assist you.